


Jolly Sailor Bold

by lin_the_bae_fong



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Beaujester Week 2019, Day 5: Fairytales/Stories, F/F, Fluff, Pirate AU, vague Little Mermaid AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lin_the_bae_fong/pseuds/lin_the_bae_fong
Summary: Jester's always loved seeing the way the lightning danced above the surface from below the swell of the stormy sea. This time though, there's a ship, and she's above the surface and there's a sailor plummeting off the back of a ship who might need her help.





	Jolly Sailor Bold

**Author's Note:**

> “While she lived here beside us she honored you like a goddess for all to see: it delighted her most to hear you singing.” -Sappho

Jester can feel the pressure change in the water long before the storm actually starts. It makes her bones ache, just a little bit, but she doesn’t mind it. The flashing lights above the surface are always so beautiful, it’s hard to be upset by the minor inconvenience. Jester usually stays far below the surface where the tumultuous waves and currents don’t batter her around too bad.

(She remembers one time coming home, blue skin bruised and cut up from being thrown against the reef, and she thought her mother was going to have a heart attack with how distraught she was. Jester promised to be more careful after that.)

RIght now, she knows she’s not being super careful, but she swears she has a good reason:

There’s a ship.

There’s a ship in the storm and Jester has seen the reefs that surrounded her home take too many on seas much tamer than this, and Jester’s seen far to many surface dwellers wash to shore, bloated and being slowly devoured by the crustaceans. So, she decides as she follows the ship, if she can help, she will. 

She’s got to admit though, whoever is sailing the ship is pretty good. They’ve managed to avoid almost every reef shelf so far, which is impressive because there is pretty narrow margin for error here. There’s another flash of lightning and a crack of thunder, and Jester’s eyes aren’t made for harsh light like that, so when her vision clears she’s surprised to see the orange glow of fire on the stern of the ship. Jester swims as fast as her tail lets her towards it.

She can hear voices yelling, faintly, and then there’s a figure with a bucket leaning over the railing trying to expedite extinguishing the fire. Jester catches up and with heavy lift of her arm, douses most of the fire. She glances up at the figure, and she’s surprised to see that they seem to be staring right back at her. For only a moment, the storm and the fire and the raging seas seem to just...melt away, and it’s just the two of them.

“SHIT! BRACE!” Jester hears a gruff male voice in the distance, and both her and the figure seem to snap out of it just in time for another crack of thunder. Wait, no, not thunder, wood. 

Jester watches as the ship lurches hard to the right as it crashes into the shelf, and gasps in horror as the figure on the back of the ship tumbles off the ship, bounces off the balcony of the Captain’s quarters, and into the deep. Jester dives below the surface and swims, swims,  _ swims  _ until she sees the unconscious person sinking into the darkness of the abyss. 

Jester races to them and wraps her arm around their waist. She speeds back to the surface and gets a better look at the person. 

It’s a woman, her hair is partially shaved but the rest is pulled back into a long braid, her skin is dark and freckles are loosely scattered across her cheeks and nose. There’s piercings along the shells of her ears and another just below her bottom lip. She is  _ very _ handsome, and Jester’s a little surprised how mesmerized with just a first glance. 

But the human is struggling to breathe. That realization kicks Jester back into gear to get her to shore. She knows it’s not too far.

Jester knows she’s strong, but swimming against the currents of storm-ravaged sea takes a lot out of a girl, and doing it while dragging along an unconscious human definitely doesn’t help, either. Jester huffs as she finally manages to pull them onto the sandy beach. A few loose strands of the woman’s hair is plastered to her face, and Jester sighs and carefully brushes it back. 

“Okay, okay, okay...sorry about this.” Jester says before pile driving her elbow into the woman’s chest. 

There’s a gasp and sputtering shout as the woman startles awake, and quickly rolls on her side to puke the water out of her system. Jester grins and pats her back.

“There, there lady. You’re alright.” 

The woman flops onto her back and breathes heavily. Jester grins lazily as the human’s eyes widen at her appearance. 

“You- you’re a mermaid.” The human’s voice is gruff and deep, and a little husky. Jester is surprised to see no fear there, but...something else. Admiration, maybe? 

“Oh? What gave it away? The tail? The horns? The sharp teeth?” She jokes. The look is replaced with nervousness. 

“....aw, man. Are you gonna eat me?” 

“What? No!” Jester replies mildly panicked, “First of all we don’t eat people. Second of all,  _ even if we did _ , why would I have brought you all the way to the beach to do so. That would be pretty silly since you were like. Already almost dead.”

The human seems to contemplate this answer for a moment. 

“Yeah, alright, you got me there. Name’s Beau. Who are you?” Beau sits up, groaning as something in her back pops. 

“I’m Jester! It’s nice to meet you, Beau.” Jester cheerfully replies. Beau seems to try to stretch her back and inhales sharply. 

“Are you hurt? I saw you hit the balcony railing when you fell off the ship. I can help if you’d like?” Jester is already scooting closer, a strange golden glow on her fingertips. Beau looks like she’s about to argue, before sighing dejectedly and nods. 

Jester leans forward and reaches under the woman’s blue, sleeveless coat to press her hands to the pirate’s bare lower back, and begins to heal. The change in Beau’s demeanor is immediate as she almost seems to sag against the mermaid’s touch. Jester giggles and pulls her hands away. 

“Well...I’ve already been gone from home too long, and I don’t want my mama to worry more than she probably is.” Jester points further into the island, towards the rising sun, “there is a small port over there. I imagine it’s where your ship probably went.”

Jester wonders for a moment, why her own words make her so sad. Beau glances toward where Jester pointed, then turns back and grasps the mermaids hand with a gentle squeeze. 

“Thank you, Jester,” the human says with an intense sincerity, “for saving my life. I owe you one.”

“It’s no problem, Beau. Until we meet again,” Jester replies, and pulls a necklace from around her neck. It’s some sort of cordage, and hanging from it there’s a series of beads and a glimmering, pearlescent shell that reflects a rainbow of color. She hands it to Beau. 

“Something to remember me by.” She says with a wink. 

Beau’s dark cheeks seem to darken even further as she accepts the gift graciously, and slips it over her head. Jester leans forward and gives Beau a chaste kiss at the corner of her lips, and the pirate smiles wide. 

“Bye, Beau.”

“Fare well, Jester.” 

As Beau walks in the direction of the port, she can hear a familiar voice singing with haunting beauty over the waves of her jolly sailor bold. 

X-x-X

It’s been a year since the day Beau almost died falling off the back of The Tusk’s Reckoning. A year since a mermaid named Jester saved her life. Now, they find themselves back at that same port the mermaid pointed her towards. 

It’s a clear, sunny day this time, though. The monsoons are little late this season and Beau is certainly not going to complain. 

“Something on your mind, First Mate? You’ve been fiddling with that necklace all morning” Captain Fjord asks as he hands her a pint of ale.

“I just wonder if she’s still around.” Beau says and sips her drink. 

“Well, I’d imagine so. Could always go for a swim and splash around a bunch to make it seem like your drowning.” Fjord teases. 

“Nothing like making an ass of myself in shallow water to get a girls attention.” Beau tips his mug just a little extra as he drinks and Fjord sputters into the cup. 

“Rude,” he wipes his face, “look, all I’m saying is we’ve got a day or two here before heading out. Couldn’t hurt to check.” 

Beau hums in contemplation for a moment before downing her ale. 

“Yeah, you’re right. If you need me for something, follow the beach southwest.” She says. As she stands she claps him on the shoulder once, then heads out. 

It’s a peaceful walk toward the beach. The waves are gentle at the moment, lapping at the shore then lazily receding back. Beau sees a rock a short ways out that she recognizes from when she first woke up here. She takes off her boots and leaves them in the sand before treading her way over to the rock and climbing atop it. There’s a muffled cry of a mollymawk in the distance. 

Beau feels a little silly, just waiting there for something to happen, but she has to admit it’s…

Peaceful. 

“I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you’re even around, but…” Beau starts trail off.  _ This is dumb _ , “but I remembered you. Not that there was ever a chance I’d forget.” 

The only answer she receives is from the ocean’s swells. She waits a few more minutes before clambering off the rock and heading towards the sh-

There’s a woman there, standing on the beach, and she’s humming that familiar haunting song. Beau makes her way a little closer and she can see the familiar blue skin and sharp, toothy grin. Beau can’t help but match it and soon there’s only a few feet between them.

“I remembered, too, Beau.” Jester steps forward and gives the pirate a tight hug. 

“You have legs now.” Beau says with a small chuckle. 

“I do! It’s a long story, but I had to leave home. I’ve been staying in town but...that place is so  _ boring _ . Which is why...I was wondering if maybe I could go with you, and your crew. On your ship.”

Beau feels her heart flutter in her chest at the thought of being able to spend time with Jester, to teach her the ways of seafaring above the water rather than below. 

“Well...I’ve certainly seen the way you can control water. I’m sure the Captain wouldn’t mind having someone like that on the ship. And I certainly wouldn’t mind either. After all, I believe I owe you one.” 

Jester cheeks go a little purple and Beau feels like she might die on the spot with how cute is. Beau picks up her boots and tucks them into her belt, then hesitantly holds her hand out toward Jester. 

“Come on, I’ll take you to meet the crew.” 

Jester doesn’t hesitate in clasping her hand with the humans, even going as far to weave their fingers together. They walk down the beach in comfortable silence.

X-x-X 

It’s been two years since Beau almost died falling over the railing of The Tusk’s Reckoning, and one year since Jester joined their crew. She was surprised to be so readily welcomed with open arms, and had fit in with the others immediately. 

It didn’t hurt that Beau had taken the time every day for the first week showing her the ropes. It was a lot to learn, but Beau was an excellent teacher. 

Getting to see the way her muscles flexed from exertion certainly didn’t harm things, either, and with the way Beau would practically drool when jester did the same, Jester got this sense Beau felt the same way. 

Fjord, being the Captain, obviously has the Captain’s Quarters, but Beau also had her own quarters as first mate. It was much smaller, practically a closet really, but Beau still had invited her to bunk with her since below the deck was pretty cramped. 

Jester knows that it would’ve probably been equal cramped, but who was she to say no to a roommate. It was like a sleep over every night. 

And if Jester got to see Beau in her sleep clothes and hair down, well. That was just a bonus. 

(And Maybe Beau liked seeing Jester sleeping in her tunics, since Jester didn’t have any sleep clothes of her own.)

And maybe sometimes Jester wondered what it would it would be like have Beau hold her while she slept. 

(Maybe Sometimes, Beau’s sleep was restless, and Jester would sneak into her bunk and hold her head to her chest while she hummed, until the human’s face was peaceful and her breathing has evened.) 

Maybe sometimes, Jester wonders what a real kiss from Beau would be like. Not a chaste, half kiss to remember her by. 

Maybe sometimes, Jester wonders if she’s in love with Beau. 

(Maybe sometimes, Jester wonders if Beau is in love with her.)

The not knowing is what’s driving Jester in circles and it’s been a whole  _ year  _ that they’ve been doing this waltz around each other. 

Jester needs answers or she’s going to lose her mind. 

She’s laying in their shared cabin waiting for Beau to come to bed. She knows Beau’s shift at the helm is over any minute and her heart is pounding in her ears. 

As if on cue, the door opens and Beau walks in looking a little more than tired. Jester’s on her feet almost immediately. 

“Hi, Beau.” Jester says a little anxiously. 

“Hey, Jess...you alright?” Beau steps closer and puts a concerned hand on her arm, and to Jester the warmth of it is intense, but grounding. She smiles at Beau’s concern. 

“I’m ok, Beau. I wanted to talk with you though? If that’s okay? Nothing’s wrong, I promise.”

Beau seems a little apprehensive, but nods and ushers Jester to sit with her on the bed. 

“Of course, you know you can tell me anything.”

“I do, I do know. I just...I’m tired of not knowing stuff so I’m just going to come out and say it. I love you.” Jester feels the intense heat come to her face the second the words leave her mouth. Beau is staring at her, and the way her mouth opens and closes a few times reminds Jester of a fish. 

“You-...you love me? Like a friend or like..?”

“I love you like the mollymawks love the sky. Everytime I look at you, I feel like the ocean being pulled by the moons, and my heart swells in my chest. ” Jester blushes harder because she knows what she’s saying sounds cheesy, but all of it’s true. She doesn’t know how better to express herself than-

Beau is kissing her. Her lips are a little chapped, but they’re plump and soft and warm and Jester melts into Beau’s embrace, before Beau finally pulls away. 

“I love you, too.”

Jester can’t stop the happy tears that roll down her face or the wet laugh that follows. She leans in for another kiss. 

She wonders idly, if other couple’s kisses are even remotely as pure and passionate as theirs. 


End file.
